june 24th. fairfax county investigators believe they have linked 16 burglaries in which homes have been targeted. mainly because they are displaying a prominent religious symbol. fairfax county police say the homes favored by the burglars are of people of middle eastern ia asian decent. ol>>it's a hindu mb anthey h g it -- some of em hang it above the garages, in the windows, next to the doors. out of the 16 that we have noticed, a significant number of them have had the symbols around their house. >> reporter: all of them during the day. the most recent break in took place tuesday, july 28th. on june 29th, the thief tried to get in through a rear window but left when he realized

someone was home. police are reluctant to put of a description. once inside the thief or thieves do after specific items. >> they seem to be targeting jewelry, specifically gold jewelry. they are taking electronics and passports and personal documents. >> reporter: they have been targeted homes in the county about once a week since april 1st. if you know anything about fairfax county, these burglarys are been taking place in areas of the counties tt are spread quite a ways from each other. some of the locations are way out. what is intriguing the police is how the burglars are able to find these homes with the symbols. they aren't suggesting people take the symbols down but

burglars are targeting the homes with the symbols. if you're home during the day, keep your doors and windows locked and the alarm on. police in arlington need your help track down a robber who is targeting office buildings. these are surveillance pictures of the man police are looking for. he stole credit cards. if you recognize this man call the arlington county police. a member of one of america's most famous families is fighting for her life right now. eunice kennedy shriver is in critical condition. she's the sister of senator ted kennedy and the mother of maria shriver. back in 2007, the 88-year-old

suffer add series of strokes. a devastating fire destroyed this northwest d.c. mansion. it was a horrible fire. a week and a half later the mayor says we know why. bess parker has more on the water woes from this fire. >> reporter: this is where the fire happened. you can see it's a long road. what's unique is there's no side streets crossing it so there's lots of hydrant in the area. they had to pump water up from the south. factor in that the water lines in the area are small and the house was very big, put it altogether and you get the perfect storm. most of the first floor was already burning when

firefighters arrived four minutes after the first call. the two hydrants put out less than the 500-gallons a minute than each one should in a five minute period. the pipes that lead to the hydrants are 75 years old, corroded and only eight inches wide. >> is there any way possible that the pipes outside of the home could have pumped more water through? is there any way you can make the pipes through and there isn't. >> reporter: there are no side streets that connect to it. there were plenty of other hydrant nearby but no way to get to it. >> it was difficult to identify and get to it.

>> i could easy say, both of the city is fine but the point of the study in the past was supposed to be precisely this, to identify the problem areas. i'm a little disappointed that it took this fire yet again, to get us to focus on it. >> reporter: after the press conference neighbors talked one- on-one with the mayor. >> clearly inadequate infrastructure in this neighborhood. >> reporter: until then neighbors say safety will be on their minds. there is one other residential neighborhood in the district that has some of the same water problems. it's now routine that when ever there's a fire in mayfair, firefighters bring a tanker truck with their own water so they don't have to rely on drants. bess, parker, fox 5 news. arsonist

arsonists torched fires. the fire caused more than a hundred thousand dollars in damage. the fire marshall's office is still looking for the suspect. claudia coffee is here with more on the gun carrying controversy. >> reporter: residents can keep a locked gun in their home but they argue their rights should extend outside of the house. he's representing local players who want the be able to carry their gun in public. >> the supreme court means that bearing arms means to carry them. it's long been understood when the constitution protects the right to keep and bear arms that means you have to right to keep it in your home and walk

out with it to defend yourself in case the need arises. >> reporter: the city has right to decide where it's appropriate if citizens their g be able to carry them if they are mentally unfit. back to you. a federal appeals court in virginia upheld the capital murder conviction and eydeath sentence of john mam mahammad. ten people were killed in four states and the district. the gunman who killed three women and wounded nine others bought the handgun accessories from the same store that sold the gun to virginia tech

shooter. george sadini bought his weapons legally. he opened fire in the l.a. fitness club and then turned on himself. making history on the hill. tomorrow sonya sotomayor will be sworn in. the ceremony will be the first to be recorded by tv camerases. she will take one oath in a private ceremony open to only her family. and the second will be open to family and friends and reporters. the measure is meant to encourage car buyers to trade in their gas guzzlers. the senate extended the two week old program into labor day. so for more than 245,000 vehicles have been traded in. the number of layoffs are

down dramatically in july dropping for the first time in 15 months. the unemployment rate dropped a tenth of a percent. the president says we are right on track. >> we're losing jobs at less than half the rate we were when i took office. we pulled the financial system back from the brink and rising market is soaring value to those 401k's that are the foundation of your retirement. >> this is the frst time in 15 months that the unemployment numbers have dropped. it was a picture perfect day to be outside. did you get outside and enjoy it like these people did? you might want to take cover. changing from the weather center. today was so brilliant.

>> it was. >> sunday, monday as tuesday is when it will be blazing hot. as you edontomti e,enedonto th perfect. we had a bit of cloud cover maxing through true view. there's a bigger bunch of clouds ouedto the west and northwest. there could be a time or two that we actually become mostly cloudyervonight tonight but by tomorrow, we're back to partly cloudy vaagndin a nag too telyowitis n on track to be about 90 degrees tomorro is really go . ay se thte bo pe co sunday. of the weekend is the heat eallry gtse ea up. . tice numbs h 84 for leesburg. st. michaelsacross the bay at 80 degrees. the good thing about the day is

the lower relative humidity. dew points have been low. 7, still warm. temperatures in the lower 80s, upper 70s with clouds. we fall right down to the middle 70s. tonight we're in the 60s again. swine flu fears forcing the government to take action before your kids crack open a school book this year. house care debate turning downright nasty. we're taking inside the battle outside the beltway. it's kind of mellow we'll tell you his assessment. how hiting the stores this weekend could save you some cash. keep it right here, fox 5 at at 5 is just getting started. 

the schools will only close in drastic case and suggest students return to school 24 after their fever is gone. >> reporter: back in the spring school closures caused some big problems for parents and school districts. now some big changes in federal guidelines make future

outbreaks less disruptive. new federal guidelines for schools say don't shut down during a suspected swine flu outbreak. instead, the department of homeland security and the department of health and human services wants administrators to come up with plan to stay open. >> only schools with high numbers of high risk students or students getting the flu should consider closure. once you close a school, as you saw last spring, that causes a very significant ripple effect because children need to stay home. >> reporter: health experts say vaccination is the best defense against h 1n 1. the cdc expects vaccines to be available by october. >> our scientists are working hard to have a vaccine ready

for consumption by mid october. they've already prepared a seasonal flu vaccine that should be available very shortly so we first recommend to people who are ready and willing to get a seasonal flu vaccine go do that quickly so we can be ready for the h 1n 1 vaccine. if your children do get sick, keep them home but only for a limited time. >> people stay out for 24 hours after their fever is gone. that's a shorter period and it's more likely that will be done. >> reporter: there is some good news at least for parents. once a child's fever has broken health officials say it's okay to send them back to school after 24 hours. the guilty plea stand for a

suspect in the murder. police say hunt drove a group of men to miami for the botched burglary that ended in the slaying. day nine of redskins training camp and you can feel the excitement. >> the season almost here, can you believe it in the team is ready. the fans are excited. what does the front office think about the way things are shaping up?

how's it going today? >> reporter: it was kind of a low key today. it was just a special teams practice. you barely see a third out on the field. they are all getting ready for tomorrow's scrimmage. lit be very interesting where you will see some hard hitting. people are excited about seeing that tomorrow. we'll see what happens. it was a low key work out for special teams practice. danny smith barking out commands as he always does. the team is 37 days away from the opener. despite some injuries in camp, vinny is pleased on how well his team is progressing. >> i think everybody understands what will take place not only on the field but off field. everybody has a feel for what's going on. i think everybody is more comfortable. i want to have our starting 22 healthy for the giants game and

then i'll feel much better about it. >> reporter: we'll tell you who will not play tomorrow. it's a full contact scrimmage except you cannot touch the quarter back. i get a little choked up talking about it. >> maybe somebody is watching and they will pick you up for the season. >> that's true. >> reporter: it's possible, but i doubt it. >> me too. a pretty scary day on the job for two window washers.

they got stuck hundreds of feet on the air. the plat tomorrow suddenly tilted to one side. they both had on safety hartnds. crews quickly rescued one man but a firefighter had to climb down the side of the building to hoist the other worker to safety. she says they are still working on their marriage but what the south carolina governor did today might tell another story. still developing story right now, stunning autopsy results just in on billie may. 

you can beat the heat this weekend and save a little cash by shopping during virginia's sales tax holiday. starting today through sunday you don't have to pay sales

tax. that includes clothing and shoes up to a hundred dollars. maryland and d.c . not offering it. have you ever gotten off an airplane only to find out the airline last your luggage. there are simple things to do to debt your bags back faster. >> reporter: lost luggage is one of the we deal with when traveling. while technologis speeding up the process of reuniting you with your belongings. there's some precautions you can take. >> the chance of your luggage being found are excel lent. >> reporter: don't see your bags on the carasuoe, go to customer service. don't forget that claim number.

if your luggage doesn't arrive on the next flight, the airplane may reimburse you. >> they should find out what the amount of reimbursement is. >> reporter: five days are s the average for your bag to be considered lost forever. there's the time to file al reimbursement claim. >> you can file a declaration to increase your coverage. >> reporter: carry expensive items like jewelry and computers on to the plane with you. >> if you must check them, make sure to have an itinerary of everything you packand it's a good idea to photograph them. >> reporter: make sure your bags are clearly labeld with our name and information. >> include an plan for your entire trip so they can find

you. if you plan on taking metro this weekend, you might want to give yourself a little extra time. coming up, we're going to tell you lines you might want to avoid this weekend. that's coming up in a live report. we have new details about which drugs michael jacktaking tkingjust hos before his death. there's something big happening at pizza hut. - woooh, nice! - at's a lot of food! now get big meals like our stuffed pizza rolls, pizza mia, the p'zone... and our personal panormous pizza starting at just $5. the big eat tiny price menu. only at pizza hut. the doctor said it could be alzheimer's. i didn't want to believe it. but that night at the bowling alley... where's alice? oh, there she is!

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- woooh, nice! - that's a lot of food! now get big meals like our stuffed pizza rolls, pizza mia, the p'zon.. and our personal panormous pizza starting at just $5. the big eat tiny price menu. only at pizza hut. right now some of the big stories we're following at 5. robbers have hit at least 16 homes since january. police say all the homes prominently displayed religious symbols especially those from

asian or middle eastern religions. a member of the one of the most famous families in the light of her life right now. eunice kenne shriver is in the fight of her life. you're planning to use this weekend? if so, you better pack your patience. >> reporter: this is not really just about ts weekend. it's about the entire month of august. metro says it's the time you want top focus on the repairs, the maintenance.

congress is out of session. you have a lot of people taking vacation. ridership is much slower. even metro admits that hundreds of thousands of people are still going to be inconvenienced. this weekend the temperature is expected to rise and so could some tempers on metro. track maintenance is taking place on the red and orange line. inbound and out bound lanes will be sharing one track. because of the metro rail accident in late june, extensive work will begin tonight from the fort cotton station to tacoma station. this will take place every night in the month of august. >> we are doing to be pretty

much replacing track circuits, we'll be making repairs on the train control room and we're also going to be reinstaling a lot of cable. >> reporter: if you think this weekend is bad, just wait. they are expecting to shut down rail service altogether for repair. you're going to have to get on a shuttle bus to do around that area. it's going to cause major delays. back to you. >> back your patience indeed. thank you. cigarette butts are ruining one of the most picturesque

barks of the year. >> reporter: capitol hill is beautiful but has a dirty little cigarette. look down and you'll see it. >> people don't realize that by throwing cigarettes on the ground, it's major improper question pact in the environment. it get into storm drains and the rivers. >> reporter: germane jackson and his clean up crew have picked up thousands of butts on the hill. >> the sidewalk, the curbs, the plants. >> reporter: the capitol hill business improvement has launch add new effort to snuff out the problem. three areas has been targeted as the keep america beautiful campaign. a survey of a half block turned

up amazing results. >> we had 487 cigarette butts in about an 18 hour period by the time our clean team left. >> reporter: capitol hill is filled with litter boxes. you can count them and the number goes on. they are near bikes and planters tucked inside trees and along sidewalks. some are still lit. they hope the new smoker poles will help smokers fiends their way. >> i think if we put these on every corner, it will make a difference. >> have you noticed how many butts are out there? >> it's unbelievable the amount. it's quite frightening. >> reporter: spokers need they become help. >> we feel like we should since we can't smoke inside and let @

city clean them up. >> reporter: on capitol hill, robbie chavez. mel martinez of florida is resigning. he said it's time to return to him home state and family. he told the staff in d.c . this morning and threw flew to orlando to tell them. south carolina's governor mark sanford's wife is moving out. the family returned from a vacation this week. they packed boxes into the suv and drove away. she plans to spend the school year with their four sons on the south carolina coast. the governor says he supports his wife's dision. we are learning more about a potentially deadly

combination ofs drugs sources say michael jackson was given before his death. we'll be right back. 

autopsy results reveal cocaine contributed to billie mays death. the medical examiner said mays used cocaine days before his death. it is labeled a contributing factor to his death. jackson's doctor gave him a ulwerf sedative pours before he dies. used improper it can stop a

party's breathing. dr. conrad murray calls the claim ridiculous. angelina jolie is getting a lot of attention. a sculpture shows her naked breast feeding her kids. residents have mixed reaction. >> it's for adult eyes only, i believe. >> i think it's awesome. i'm really proud that something like this is coming. >> it's part of a bigger project in oklahoma. the sculpture teamed uwith an artist from the west coast. this next story is about a picky robber. he didn't want cash or

cigarettes. he wanted m and m's. you can see him pick up the plastic m and m figure. he dumped out the candy and took out with it. he bought a beer. when the clerk turned him down, he grabbed the candy man and took off. >> i think that was my husband. >> say it isn't so. >> take it back, mike. >> he's addicted to m and m's. talking about round two in the d.c . gun battle. you can't take them outside the house. a local lawyer is pushing to change that. will he succeed? an update on yesterday's twitter attack. we now know who the attackers were after. it's fairfax versus arlington.

you'll see more of it at 6. happening at pizza hut. - woooh, nice! - that's a lot of food! now get big meals like our stuffed pizza rolls, pizza mia, the p'zone... and our personal panormous pizza starting at st $ the big eat tiny price menu. only at pizza hut.

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the big eat tiny price menu. only at pizza hut. we're heading back to redskins park where it's been a test of wills all week. >> our fox sports team has been putting their skills to the test to see who is the better player. is dave ross finally going to get a w tonight? >> he has a real good chance. >> you say that every night. >> because i try to be very gracious and humble. is it working? >> not really. >> we got some help from domique turner.

i give you our final. it's that time. it's our final dave versus dave. domique dorsey. we're going to do punt returns. you're going to critique us. >> i'm looking forward to seeing if he's got it squared. >> it's pretty square. >> we'll have the voters log onto myfox5dc.com. >> is there a prepunts routine you do? >> run north and south. >> i'm more of an east/west guy. >> if you got enough shape to go east/west. >> is there any stretching you do? >> stretch your hamstrings. >> that's enough. >> you adjust the direction by

where ever he steps. >> very nice. >> i'm hoping he will miss this kick. drop the person and i'll be in the driver seat. can you get this out of my face? you're a little close. >> stay squared. >> you did an excellent job of moving your fe. >> i couldn't hear you well enough. what did you say? >> you did an excellent job. >> i got this one. >> it's okay to catch a ball here. >> that's a good punt. >> come on. >> that was a good catch. >> i would like to see a little move.

>> run first and then a move? >> love it. come on richard. there it is. there we have it. that was great. i love the move. you delivered. i'm going to have to leave it up to the viewers. >> the viewers can decide. log onto myfox5dc.com. for the last time vote for which days you thought had the better punt returning skills. dave was not injured. he's fine and reported to work that day. he's listed as day-to-day. we're not going to keep him out

of any games. >> very impressive. >> rich looked great out there. >> you looked pretty good to. >> thank you. i appreciate it. >> we have to tell the truth. there's no more gracious winner than dave. he won't mention this again. it's great today. did you feel it? where did the humidity go? >> who cares. >> it will come back with a vengeance.

tomorrow is not that hot. i've been hearing a lot on the radio driving around today. scorcher of a weekend. tomorrow is not that bad. we're going to be 90 and have clouds too. that will help keep the heat down a bit. the clouds tomorrow may over anticipating the temperatures just a little bit. sunday real deal. sunday is going to be a scorcher out there. headlines will tell you another comfortable overnight. 50s and 60s out there. we're going to have more clouds tomorrow. the hotst day will be sunday. the hottest day of the weekend and it looks like the real hot weather trend will stay with us sunday, monday and tuesday. it looks like we are getting cooling in here by wednesday. big ridge of high pressure pumping way up. the temperatures just come right up.

saturday, warmer than today. it's up in the mid to upper 80s. sunday is going to be really when we are baking. it's going to be upper 90s out there. we'll make it feel more like it's a 100 to 103 late sunday afternoon. temperatures right now in the 80s, lower humidity not bad. high pressure is the the surface has been moving in. the upper level high pressure way in the upper levels of the atmosphere is such that it's bringing the clouds around the ridge of high pressure. we are getting these moving in from the west to northwest. look at the complex of showers and thunderstorms moving in to chicago and indiana and michigan. we're not going to get that. what we will get will be the clouds coming around that ridge of high pressure and they will stay with us. tonight at 6, notice allthat stays away from us.

look what we are seeing tomorrow morning. the clouds coming around and that will continue through the day. it's not going to be completely cloudy. we'll have sunny breaks and that will allow the temperatures to get up. with the clouds like this, fairly thick and a couple of thunderstorms popping up. that will help keep the temperatures in check a bit. no clouds, no showers, blazing heat comes in here with that sunshine. tonight, comfortable, lower 60s out in the suburbs and even the upper 50s wouldn't surprise me. tomorrow a mix of clouds and sun. there's a slight chance tomorrow afternoon that we may have one or two thunderstorms popping up. when i say one or two, i mean just one or two. i can't tell you exactly where that's going to happen. you'll be in good cheap with

the weather for tomorrow. blazing hot on sunday, monday, tuesday. tuesday, wednesday we could have thunderstorms as well. hopefully by wednesday, will be tip of the heat just a little bit. an incredible sight over walter reed medical center. >> a double amputee jumping out of a plane carrying a flag and a message for soldiers. we'll be right back. 

talk about determination. a tragic military sky diving accident took his legs and the life of his friends, but not his drive. >> the former golden night soldier is still inspiring

others. >> reporter: dana bowman jumps from a plane hitting his mark. >> it was awesome. >> reporter: he lost both of his legs in a military sky diving accident back in 1994 that claimed the life of his sky diving partner. he was brought to waller reed for treatment and has never forgotten those to make him whole again. every year walter reed helps more than $150,000 people from all branches of the military. >> the message is for the old, young, new, disabled, physically challenged and especially our wounded soldiers, no matter what happens to you, you can still continue on. >> reporter: a quadruple amputee was injured by a roadside bomb.

he said he was inspired by the jump. >> you can't give up. we show people. my motto is it's not to disable, it's the able. we only given one chance at life. >> reporter: he is now training for his next adventure which will happen in 18 months. >> pretty amazing. news at 6 starts right now. the district fought for years to keep guns off the streets. now a lawsuit deanding to pack heat in public. a gun battle that could go all the way